Man vs Food Challenge at the Walkabout 1

I was quite excited about this challenge. I got an email from them saying there was some seriously big burger going to be on the menu and there would be a t-shirt and free pint for anyone that could eat it all in 15 minutes. The Walkabout in Sheffield is just round the corner from work so I’d have ample opportunity to try out the challenge.

So the burger is made of chicken escalope, 2 walkabout burger patties, a spicy bean burger, 2 pieces of bacon, 4 onion rings, cheese, mayo, jalapenos, chilli jam. Sides of fries and coleslaw.

The flyer
The small print says,

“sides are a component of the Walkabout challenge and must be completed to redeem your prize. Participants undertaking the ‘Walkabout Challenge’ do so at their own risk. Participants must complete the entire ‘Walkabout Challenge’ within 15 minutes and notify a member of staff to approve their completion within 15 minutes. The contestant must be 18 years old or above”.

There’s nothing like hyping expectations up to unsatisfiable levels. Participants undertake at their own risk! Only thing more ridiculous is if they asked me to sign a disclaimer.

As with all these burger challenges its the fries that do you. There’s nothing on that burger that is remotely scary. I checked and the chef said it was just a normal portion of fries you got with it. With that in mind, I thought I’d just nip in after work and complete the challenge. No need for any preparation for this one.

The burger

When the burger arrived, I was confident I could finish it easily in the 15 minutes. This one only needed 2 spikes to keep it together! (Its a crude measure but generally the more spikes you need the bigger the burger is.) The burger was fresh off the grill so really hot. I made the unusual step of tacking the chips a the same time as the burger.

New technique

I’ve come round to the idea that using cutlery is for amateurs. All the ‘pro eaters’ just use their hands. A bit greasy but you don’t waste time cutting things up and then moving the food to your mouth. If you just pick it up, you can save those valuable seconds.

Challenge complete in 10 minutes 11 seconds

So, I completed the challenge in 10 minutes 11 seconds. That’s a record but just by default. I was the first person to attempt it. No doubt, that’ll get beat sooner or later. I got a mention on their facebook page.

So, our man Vs Burger sarted today! And we have just had our first challanger! The burger costs £14.50 and we ask that it is to be completed in under 15 minutes! If you complete the task you will win a free t-shirt and a free pint of carling or small glass of wine! You will also get your name and picture proudly displayed in our ‘Man Vs Burger’ photo album on facebook! The first challanger has completed the burger in 10 minutes and 11 seconds! although we’ve heard he’s a pro! Get yourselves down here to see if you can ‘BEAT THE BURGER’!!!!

my bold

Front

Back

The t-shirt I won was a good quality Hanes one. The trouble is that they are all one size. Not a problem if you are an XL but for me, I can’t really wear it.

It was filling but I think at a push I could have done it all again. In terms of difficulty, I’d say it was slightly easier than the flaming grill burger challenge. It no match for the Dam House challenge though. If you want a challenge, I’d suggest going up to the Dam house instead.

The good thing about the Walkabout challenge is that it doesn’t ruin your day. After doing some challenges you just want to lie down and sleep. Its a nice size so you can go out drinking after. If it wasn’t so expensive it’d be nice to just have as a large burger. At £14.50 its a bit much I think. It does depend on how you look at it though. The t-shirts got to be worth a fiver and the pint of Carling, say £3, so that leaves £6.50 for the burger which is good value. That assumes you complete it though and value the t-shirt at £5. Only having XL t-shirts is a major bummer.

The other good thing about this challenge its very spectator friendly. The Walkabout has a nice atmosphere and just as cheap as the Weatherspoons. You can get a decent burger for less than a fiver. They have a couple of big screens there and 2 sky boxes so you can usually watch any major football down there. They have a nice beer garden too.

Walkabout Sheffield
Carver St,
City Centre,
Sheffield
S1 4FS
Phone:0114 241 3400

Follow them on Twitter
Or like on Facebook.

This is a nationwide challenge so if you are in any of these place you are in luck – Barnsley, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Burnley, Cardiff, Carlisle, Derby, Doncaster, Exeter, Glasgow, Hanley, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newquay, Nottingham, Plymouth, Reading, Sheffield, Shepherds Bush, Swansea, Temple, Watford or Wolverhampton.

Thanks to the gmedia people (@gav, @SteveEdson @christie_maze that came with me to do this one.